Latest news with #AldrichPotgieter
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
PGA Tour Golfer Has Complete Meltdown During Rocket Classic on Friday
PGA Tour Golfer Has Complete Meltdown During Rocket Classic on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club has already delivered some low scores and high drama. After round one, South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter and America's Kevin Roy shared the lead thanks to record-breaking 10-under-par 62s. Australia's Min Woo Lee and Patrick Cantlay also got off to hot starts, but with the cut line hovering around 5-under, pressure mounted heading into Friday's second round. Advertisement That pressure boiled over for Stephan Jaeger. The 36-year-old German, who began the day at two-under, found himself fighting to stay in the tournament. Things took a turn at the par-5 fourth hole when Jaeger hit a wayward 342-yard drive that went so far left, even ShotTracking struggled to locate it. Stephan Jaeger plays his shot from the first tee during the first round of the Travelers Championship golf Streicher-Imagn Images Frustrated, he let loose in true 'Happy Gilmore' fashion, furiously smashing his club into the ground three times. PGA Tour Live caught the moment, remarking, 'No surprise, Stephan Jaeger plenty of power here… and a lot of frustration.' But here's the twist—Jaeger channeled that anger into a highlight. After his meltdown, he hit a remarkable recovery shot, stuck his third to within six feet, and rolled in the birdie. That lifted him to three-under at the time, just one off the projected cut. His rollercoaster round didn't stop there. After a couple of bogeys on 8 and 9, and another at 13, Jaeger bounced back with birdies on 14 and 17 to finish even for the day, staying at two-under overall. Advertisement Despite the meltdown, Jaeger has shown flashes this season, including a win in Houston last year and a top-five finish. His playing partner Jake Knapp's girlfriend, Makena White, even defended him online. Presently, Chris Kirk and Philip Knowles are sharing the top spot. With the weekend on it's way, fans must get to see more about the ups and downs in Classic. Sometimes, even a meltdown leads to a mini-miracle. Related: PGA Tour Warns of Late Weather Concerns at Rocket Classic on Friday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Al Arabiya
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Knapp Shoots 11-Under 61 for Rocket Classic 18-Hole Record, Marking 4th Tournament Record in 2 Days
Jake Knapp shot an 11-under 61 to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day, becoming the first PGA Tour player to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season. Knapp started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention Friday with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round. 'I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit,' he said. Knapp, ranked No. 99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season. He shot a 59 – one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 – at the Cognizant Classic four months ago when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and finishing tied for sixth. Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Aldrich Potgieter and Kevin Roy both shot a 62. 'I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more,' Knapp said. 'I was even kind of thinking about 59 when I stuck it close on my third to last hole.'
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Knapp shoots 11-under 61 for Rocket Classic 18-hole record, marking 4th tournament record in 2 days
DETROIT (AP) — Jake Knapp shot an 11-under 61 to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day, becoming the first PGA Tour player to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season. Knapp started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention Friday with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round. Advertisement 'I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit,' he said. Knapp, ranked No. 99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season. He shot a 59 — one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 — at the Cognizant Classic four months ago, when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and finishing tied for sixth. Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Aldrich Potgieter and Kevin Roy both shot a 62. 'I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more,' Knapp said. 'I was even kind of thinking about 59 when I stuck it close on my third to last hole.' ___ AP golf: Larry Lage, The Associated Press
Associated Press
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Knapp shoots 11-under 61 for Rocket Classic 18-hole record, marking 4th tournament record in 2 days
DETROIT (AP) — Jake Knapp shot an 11-under 61 to break a Rocket Classic record that stood for less than a day, becoming the first PGA Tour player to break 60 and shoot a 61 or lower in the same season. Knapp started the second round 130th in the 156-player field after opening with a 72. He surged into contention Friday with nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round. 'I was just probably upset all night and this morning, so I think that maybe helped a little bit,' he said. Knapp, ranked No. 99 in the world, is the only player on the tour to shoot 61 or better in two rounds this season. He shot a 59 — one off the tour scoring record of 58 set by Jim Furyk in 2016 — at the Cognizant Classic four months ago, when he broke the tournament scoring record before cooling off and finishing tied for sixth. Knapp broke the 18-hole record at Detroit Golf Club that was set Thursday in the first round when Aldrich Potgieter and Kevin Roy both shot a 62. 'I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more,' Knapp said. 'I was even kind of thinking about 59 when I stuck it close on my third to last hole.' ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Potgieter and Roy share PGA lead in Detroit with course record 62s
South African Aldrich Potgieter acknowledges fans after firing a first-round 62 for a share of the lead at the US PGA Tour Rocket Classic in Michigan (Gregory Shamus) Aldrich Potgieter and Kevin Roy fired course-record 62s at Detroit Golf Club on Thursday to share the first-round lead in the US PGA Tour Rocket Classic. Roy, a 35-year-old American chasing a first PGA Tour title, followed his eagle at the 17th with his eighth birdie of the day to be the first in the clubhouse on 10-under. Advertisement Less than 10 minutes later South Africa's Potgieter put the finishing touches on a round that also included an eagle and eight birdies. Potgieter and Roy both broke the previous course record of 63 -- matched Thursday by Australian Min Woo Lee and Americans Max Greyserman and Mark Hubbard. "Just one of those days everything was clicking," said Roy, who had seven birdies in the first 14 holes then chipped in from off the green for eagle at 17 after his five-wood second shot from the fairway rolled off the putting surface. "I was shocked my five-wood went that far," Roy said. "I had 279 (to) pin. I don't a five-wood that far, but maybe a little adrenaline or something going on. Advertisement "Luckily just trickled off the back, it was a fine lie and just had to kind of plop it up and it rolled in like a two-footer. Certainly a bonus," added Roy, who rolled in a five-footer at the last. That caught the attention of Potgieter, who had teed off on 10 and surged up the leaderboard when he picked up five strokes in a four-hole span, starting with his fourth birdie of the day at 16. He followed that with a 10-foot eagle at 17, a 10-foot birdie at the 18th and a tap-in birdie at the first. He reached 10-under with back-to-back birdies at seven and eight, and was finishing his round at the ninth when he saw Roy's score. Advertisement "I was standing on the last hole and I looked at the leaderboard and saw someone else at 10, so I was real eager to make that putt at the last," said Potgieter, who had a 12-foot birdie attempt but settled for a tap-in par. Long-hitting 20-year-old Potgieter is also seeking a first PGA Tour title, having come close in February only to fall to Brian Campbell in a playoff at the Mexico Open. - 'Gettable' course - Australia's Lee, who claimed his first US tour title at the Houston Open in March, had set an early target. He teed off on 10 and opened birdie-bogey. He made nine birdies the rest of the way, including three in a row to cap his round. Advertisement "Everything was pretty solid," said Lee. "I think the putter was working quite nicely." After the grind of the US Open and the PGA Championship, Lee was pleased to be on a course that was "quite gettable" -- especially after rain earlier this week. "It's quite nice to kind of play from the rough," he said. "Not that I was doing it on purpose, I would rather be on the fairway, but, yeah, it's gettable." Greyserman and Hubbard both played late, Hubbard firing nine birdies without a bogey and Greyserman posting 10 birdies and one bogey to join Lee on nine-under. Andrew Putnam was alone in sixth on 64 with seven players tied on 65. bb/rcw
